Top Projects of 2016: Chroma

A new mixed-use development called Chroma has been a boon for Minneapolis’ Whittier neighborhood.

Located at East 26th Street and Stevens Avenue, Chroma has brought “high-density, high-design, market-rate housing to an area that previously lagged in new construction,” said Nick Walton, co-founder of Minneapolis-based CPM Cos.

The project includes Tilt, Minneapolis’ first pinball bar, on its ground floor with 70 apartment units spread over the building’s second through fifth floors. Before Chroma’s arrival, the site was a brownfield that sat empty for more than a decade.

A major challenge for Chroma’s developers was undertaking an environmental cleanup of the site.

“During construction, contaminated soils were removed, and under the entire site and building, a vapor collection and venting system was installed,” Walton said. Landmark Environmental helped coordinate the remediation work.

Beyond restoring the once-polluted site, the Chroma project brought additional rental housing to the area, particularly helpful to students of the nearby Minneapolis College of Art and Design. Chroma residents are within walking distance of several cultural amenities, including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Eat Street, and the Midtown Greenway trail.

In a bid to keep Chroma’s rents lower, CPM built some apartments as small as 500 square feet while still providing tenants with a full array of amenities, including washers/dryers, full kitchens and designated bedrooms separated from living rooms. Rents for one-bedroom apartments are as low as $1,050 per month.